Collections : [Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library]

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Special Collections and Archives
James G. Leyburn Library
Washington and Lee University
204 W. Washington Street
Lexington, VA 24450
Primary Collecting Areas:
American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, theater, local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, late 19th-century travel
Description:

The Washington and Lee University Special Collections and Archives Department houses over 1,000 unique manuscript collections including those of the Rockbridge Historical Society, The American Shakespeare Center, and the Mountain Valley Preservation Association. These collections vary greatly in size, format, and scope. Subjects covered within the collections are diverse and include concentrations in American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, and theater.

It also houses over 10,000 photographs and prints. Beyond our photograph and print collections, which include scrapbooks, images can also be found within the manuscript collections and University Archives described above. Our photographic holdings vary greatly in size and include numerous formats representative of the evolution of the photographic process. Strengths are local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, W&L University history, including athletics, and late 19th-century travel.

POC: Tom Camden
Phone: (540) 458-8649
Phone: (540) 463-8109
Fax: (540) 463-8964
Start Over Repository Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library Creator Whitehead, James Walter, Sr.
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Museums at Washington and Lee records, 1649/2016

10 Linear Feet

This record group contains archived materials about and created by Washington and Lee University's museums, comprised of Lee Chapel and Museum, the Reeves Collection, and the university's art collection, during the course of its regular business, such as official publications and records of its management.

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Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Louise Herreshoff Papers, 1867/1977

2.6 Linear Feet Five boxes including personal correspondence, ephemera, photographs. Two volumes of photograph albums, one exhibit book, one biographical book.

This collection includes an important archive of letters, personal files, photos, and biographical information of esteemed painter Louise Herreshoff, her second husband Euchlin Reeves and their families. Euchlin Reeves was a graduate of Washington and Lee University (WLU) School of Law and is the namesake of WLU's Reeves Center, home of the Reeves Collection – a large and internationally important ceramics collection (1500 – present) and Louise Herreshoff's paintings, given by the couple to the university beginning in 1967.

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"A Fragile Union: The Story of Louise Herreshoff", 2003 Box 6

This biography of Louise Herreshoff by James Whitehead was created using personal correspondence, and regularly cites her letters. It depicts her life, familial ties, influences, time in Paris, period of art creation, china collecting, her two marriages, and her relationship with Washington and Lee University.

  1. Box 6

Sick Bag Outline from "A Fragile Union" Box 4, Folder 88

This folder contains the plan for James Whitehead's biography on Louise Herreshoff, "A Fragile Union," which was written on an airplane sick bag during a flight.

  1. Box 4
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Libby and Floyd D. Gottwald Correspondence, 1983/1995

35 Item

This collection contains correspondence between Libby and Floyd Gottwald and several faculty and staff of Washington and Lee University. Topics include the university's finances, initiatives, and events.

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Letter from John W. Whitehead to Mr. and Mrs. Gottwald, 1983 Box 1, Folder 1

Letter discusses an article Whitehead discovered while in Houston regarding a VMI Cadet Christopher G. Caplice and his commitment to honor. Whitehead found the article uplifting and sent it to General Walber (spelling questionable). Whitehead was in Houston following his son's stroke in August of that year.

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Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

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